Adjustable platform for vehicles



July 6, 1937.

A. CASHIER ET AL ADJUSTABLEKPLATFORM FOR VEHICLES Filed Jan. 7, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet l lll .HIM-lill Hlm-Hill MIMI-Ill!! l C ATToR'NEY i July.6, 193:7. A. cAsHlER ET AAL 2,086,255

ADJUSTABLE PLATFORM FOR VEH I CLE S Filed Jan. 7, 1957 3 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTORS info/agb Cas/ger BY 9&0 Cas/Ezel' July 6, 1937. A. cAsHlER ET AL I ADJUSTABLE PLATFORM FOR VEHICLES 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FiledJan. '7, 1937 INV ENTOR5 iff/orafo C45/Eger BYEmeIza Ces/Beef ATTORNEY Patented July 6, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application January 7, 1937, Serial No. 119,398

3 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in an adjustable platform for vehicles.

The invention has for an object the construction of a fire apparatus as mentioned which is characterized by a base member such as a truck body upon which a plate is pivotally mounted upon a longitudinal line of the base member and which plate is arranged to support an extending device adapted to be raised to reach a window and lean over towards one side or the other so as to better reach the Window when the truck is parked in the gutter or spaced from the wall of a house.

Furthermore, the invention proposes the provision of lazy tong structures on the longitudinal sides of the plate and connected with the base member and with a means for operating the lazy tong structures to pivot the plate towards one side or the other. v

Another one of the objects of this invention is the provision of a platform superimposed on the plate and supported by a transverse lazy tong structure mounted between said plate and said platform, and furthermore supported by auxiliary lazy tong structures along the longitudinal sides of the platform and connecting with said plate by the operation of which the platform may be elevated when desired.

Still further the invention proposes the provision of projecting elements on the auxiliary tong structures which may be used as the rungs of a step ladder.

Another one of the objectsV of this invention resides in the provision of a flexible step ladder with telescopic sections so as to be extendable and mounted upon the side of the re apparatus to extend when the platform is raised, and to retract when the platform is lowered.

Another one of the objects of this invention is the provision of a staircase or other platform construction which may be placed at one side or end of the truck body so that people lowered from a window on the platform may then walk down the stairs to the street.

Still further the invention also proposes the provision of support arms associated with the truck body which may be extendedr to one side and to the other side to help maintain thetruck in an upright position and prevent its tipping over due to the fact that the platform Yand the weights on the platform will offset'to one side relative to the base member and truck.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and ac- Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a vehicle constructed according to this invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of Fig. 1. l

Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a. transverse lenlarged sectional view of the re apparatus shown tilted to one side.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view' taken on the line S-S of Fig. 5.

'Fig 7 is a perspective view of a portion of Fig. 4 looking in the direction of the line 1-1 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary elevational view looking in the direction of the line 8--8 of Fig. 5.,

Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 9--9 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view of the support device shown in the extended operative position.

Fig. 11 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line II-II of Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary end elevational view looking in the direction of the line I2-I2 of Fig. 10.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary enlarged elevational View looking in the direction of the line I3--I3 of Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is an elevational view of the extension ladder used in conjunction with the fire apparatus.

Fig. 15 is a sectional view taken on the line I5--I5 of Fig. 14.

The apparatus includes a base member I6 such as a portion of a truck body of a motor truck I1. A plate I8 is arranged upon the base member I6 along a longitudinal line thereof. Lazy tong structures I9a and I9b are arranged upon the longitudinal sides of the plate I8 and are connected with the base member I6. A means is provided for operating the lazy tong structures I9EL and I9b which includes operating screws 20a and 20D.

A platform 2I is superimposed on the plate I8vv and is supported by a transverse lazy tong structure 22 arranged between the plate I8 and indirectly connected with the platform 2|. There are auxiliary lazy tong structures 23a and 23b arranged along the longitudinal side of the platform 2| and connected with the plate I8 and the platform 2|.. A vmeans is provided for operating the said transverse lazy tong structure 22 which includes-a transverse screw 24., and there is va means for operating the lazy tong structures 23n and 23b which includes screws 2liEL and 24.

The pivotal mounting of the plate I8 by severalA .transverse angle members 25 mounted upon the bottom ofthe plate I8 and pivotally connected by a rod '1 with other transverse` members` 21 mountedupon the base member I6. These members and 21 have their bottom and top edges respectively formed at an inclination so as to limit the pivoting ofthe plate I8. In Fig. 4 the plate I8 is shown pivoted towards the left with the left handside portionsof the members 25 and 21 .forming a stop to limit furtherpivoting. It should be understood that the plate I8 may be pivoted towards the right to an equivalent position in which the right hand portions of the members25 and 21 will form stops.

The lazy tong structures I9?) and |91 are substantially identical in construction. Each com,- prises a pair of crossed arms I9 pivotally connected at or near their centers by apintle- 28.'

The lower ends of each of these arms are-pivotally connected with members 3|] which threadedly engag'f'upon sections ofthe operating screws 20a. These sections have their threads on opposite hand so that when the screws are rotated the members`= either move together or move apart. The other endsvof the arms I9 are pivotally connectedwith members 3| which engage upon rods -32 fixedly mounted on side portions I8 of the platel. One of the members 3| is fxedly secured to the rod 32, while the other is slidable on the rod. This is conventional lazy tong construction which will cause the plate I8 to be moved relative to the base member I 6 when the screwZIla is turned. y I

The screws 2|!a and 20b are connected up for unitary operation'by reason of each of these screws being provided: witha bevel gear 32'. These'bevel gears mesh with bevel gears 33 upon a transverse shaft 34 having a central bevel gear 35meshing with a'bevel gear 36 on a single operator shaft 31. This permits the shaft 31 to be rotated in one direction or the other to simultaneously operate the screws 2|!a and 20h. These screws are of such handsthat when the lazy tong structurer'llla expands the lazy tong structure I9b contracts, and vice versa. Thus the plate I8 may be pivoted in one or the other direction.

The lazy tong structures 23a and 23D are of substantially identical design. Each consists of l a plurality of arms 23' pivotally connected intermediate of their ends with adjacent arms by the pintle members 40. The outer ends of the adjacent arms are pivotally connected with each other by the pintles 4I. The -uppermost arms are connected with transverse rods 42 which extend transversely between the upper ends of the lazy tong structures 23a and 23h. These rods 42 pass through elongated Vslots 43 formed in angle members 44 secured to the bottom wall -of the platform 2|. The arrangement'permits the lazy tongs 23a and 23h to operate. The lower ends of the lower arms 23 are also provided with transverse rods 42' connected between the lazy tong structures 23a and 23h. These rods 42' engage through elongated slots 43' formed' in the side wall portions I8 of the plate I8. The arms 23 of the lazy tong structures may all be of the same size Vor diminish in length toward the upper portion of'these structures.

Thus the lower ends of the lazy tong structures '23a and 23b maymove closer together or further apart as conditions require. The screws 24a and 24"JV indirectly control the operation vof the lazy tong structures'23u and 231.` These screws are provided with followers 45 threadedly mounted thereon and engaging' against the rods 42. 'These followers engagel againstt'heouter sides of the rods. 'When theV screws `24land2gIb rotate the followers 45fmove they rods v42" 'closer togetherand so extend the lazy tong structures 23a and 23h. When the screws 24a and 24b are rotated in the reverse the lazy tong structures are retracted. The screws 24a and 24b are connected for unitary operation byreason of bevel gears 46 mounted on the ends of Ythescrews, and meshing with bevel gears 41 on a transverse shaft 48 which is provided with a central bevel gear 49 meshing with r a bevel gear 50 of a single operator shaft 5|.

Thus this-operator shaft 5| may be rotated to operate the screws 24aand 24b simultaneously.

r The shaft`48 also has an extended end 48 upon which there is a wheel 52 having a handle 53 by which the screws may be manually operated when desired. The wheel 52 may be turned in one direction to extend thev lazy tongs, and in the other direction to retract them. 'I'he shafts 31: and 5| may be coupled'to the vmotor of the vehicle I1 (the details of this coupling not being shown on the drawings) if it is desired to operate the re 'apparatus'mechanically The lazyt'o'ng structure 22 is for the purpose of holding lthelazytongs 23a and 23b in a central position upon the base plate I8. This is necessary since the rods 42' are both free and work in the slots 43. The lazy tong 22 comprises a pair of crossed arms 22 pivotally connected at their centers by a pintle 54. The upper ends `of the arms 22' are provided withpintles 55 working in-slots 56 in a member 51 *secured to theY lowermost of the pintle rods 40. The lower 'ends of the arms 22are pivotally connected with followers 58 which are threadedly engaged on sections of the screw 24. This screw is rotatively supported upon the plate I8 and at its ends is provided with bevel gears 59 meshing with bevel gears I6 xed on the screws 24a and 24h. Thus when the lazy tongs 23a and 23b are operated the lazy tongs 22 will be simultaneously operated. These'lazy tongs are synchronized with each other so that they do not interfere with each others operation. The bottom-most pintle rod 40 moves up in relation to the motion of the lazy tongs 23a and 23b and alsolin relation to the operation of the lazy tongs 22. Y Each of the pintle rods 40 have projecting ends 40 which may be used as the rungs of a ladder.

A flexible and extendible ladder 63 is associ-q lowermost section'63a is xedly mounted by clamps 64 to the body of thetruck I1. The uppermost section of thev telescopic ladder is atf tached by clamps 65 to the platform 2|. The arrangement provides a ladder extended from the ground up to the platform 2| in all extended positionsY of the platform. The details of the ladder form no part of this invention and for this reason will be omittedvfrom the specification, particularly inview of the fact that extension ladders are notoriously old.

f A'staircase construction 66' is associated with the rear end of the truck I1.' This staircase construction compri'ses'steps |56a at the back and steps 66b at the sides.V Between these steps there are railings 61 whichpersons may hold on .to when coming' down'or vup these steps. This 'stair construction (5,5I is freely rested, on the ground and may Vnormally belcarried upon the platform 2| when the fire apparatus is not being used.

` In order to avoid Va top heavy structure which would be present'when' the, platform 2| is extended to 'its fullest'height `andgthe plate I8is pivoted towards one side, there are extendible support arms 10 associated with each side of the truck body I1 at the front and at the back, four in all, and each adapted to be extended as required. Furthermore there are four jacks 10aa, one near each support arm 10. When the platform 2l is tilted towards one side the support arms and jacks on that side are extended and vice versa. Each of these support arms 10 comprise several telescopic sections 10a, 10b and 10. The outer telescopic section 10a is attached to the truck body I1 located beneath the body. The sections 10b and 1Dc telescopically engage in the section 1G@ and may be extended when required. Bearings 'Il are associated with the movable sections to act as anti-friction devices, so that the sections may be easily extended. 'Ihey will maintain extended or retracted positions frictionally.

The outer section 19C is provided with an elongated slot 12 through which a bolt 13 slidably engages. This bolt supports a leg 14 which is also formed with an elongated slot 15. The bolt 13 also supports a block 16 arranged on the opposite side of the section 'llla to that of the leg 14. A finger 11 is supported by a bolt 18 from the block 16. This finger 11 supports a spring urged pawl 18 which engages ratchet teeth 19 formed upon one side of the arm 14. A block .8B is secured to the section 10 and abuts against one side of the leg 14 to limit pivoting of the leg in one direction and to hold the leg substantially in a vertical position. The leg is provided with a foot 80 which may rest on the ground.

The leg 14 may assume various vertical positions by disengaging the pawl 18 and moving it upwards as permitted by the slot 15. Thus if the leg 14 is required to rest upon a sidewalk or other elevation it is capable of being placed in the proper position. The extended support arms will stabilize the re apparatus so that it does not tilt towards the top-heavy direction.

The operation of the device is as follows:-

The shaft 31 may be rotated to indirectly rotate the screws 26a and 2!!b to cause the lazy tong structures Isla and i9b to operate simultaneously and pivot the plate I8 towards one side or the other. The lazy tongs 19a and l9o operate in opposite directions, that is, when one opens the other closes.

The shaft 5l or the wheel 52 may be turned to cause the simultaneous operation of the screws 2l!a and 24h which indirectly cause the extension or retraction of the transverse lazy tong structure 22 and the auxiliary lazy tong structures 23a and 23h. This causes the extension or retraction of the platform 2l. The support arms 19 may be extended to compensate for an oi center top heavy construction due to the extension of the platform 2i being inclined towards one side, and the jacks lilia may be used for the same purpose.

It is to be understood that this adjustable platform may be used also for other purposes, such as painting the walls of buildings, for washing windows, etc.Y

While we have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of our invention, it is to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as de, iined in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:-

l. A fire apparatus comprising a base member such as a truck body, a plate upon said base member and pivotally mounted upon a longitudinal line on said base member, lazy tong structures on the longitudinal sides of said plate and cooperatively connected with said base member, means for operating said lazy tong structures for pivoting said plate towards one side or the other, a platform superimposed on said plate and supported by a transverse lazy tong structure indirectly mounted between said plate and said platform and furthermore supported by auxiliary lazy tong structures along the longitudinal sides of said platform and directly connected with said plate and said platform, and means for operating said transverse and auxiliary lazy tong structures for raising or lowering said platform, the pivotal mounting of said plate comprising several transverse members secured upon said plate and on said base member, and a pivotal rod through said transverse members.

means for operating said lazy tong structures for pivoting said plate towards one side or the other,

la platform superimposed on said plate and supported by a transverse lazy tong structure indirectly mounted between said plate and said platform and furthermore supported by auxiliary lazy tong structures along the longitudinal sides of said platform and directly connected with said plate and said platform, and means for operating said transverse and auxiliary lazy tong structures for raising or lowering said platform, the pivotal mounting of said plate comprising several transverse members secured upon said plate and on said base member, and a pivotal rod through said transverse members, said transverse members being provided with inclined sides to limit the pivoting of said plate.

3. A fire apparatus comprising a, base member such as a truck body, a plate upon said base member and pivotally mounted upon a longitudinal line on said base member, lazy tong structures on the longitudinal sides of said plate and cooperatively connected with said base member, means for operating said lazy tong structures for pivoting said plate towards one side or the other, a platform superimposed on said plate and supported by a transverse lazy tong structure indirectly mounted between said plate and said platform and furthermore supported by auxiliary lazy tong structures along'the longitudinal sides of said platform and directly connected with said plate and said platform, and means for operating said transverse and auxiliary lazy tong structures for raising or lowering said platform, said transverse lazy tong structure being connected with a transverse pintle element of said auxiliary lazy tong structures.

ANTONIO CASI-HER. EMELIO CASI-HER. 

